NFL Player News

Sanders is taking first-team reps at Thursday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Deshaun Watson took all the first-team reps Wednesday, while Thursday marks Sanders' turn to work with the starters as the Browns evaluate their quarterbacks in training camp. A regular-season starter between Watson or Sanders is unlikely to be determined until after both players have had a chance to make their case in game action during the preseason.

Rodriguez (foot) has been cleared to practice, but the Jaguars intend to take a cautious approach with the running back's participation level early in training camp, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

"It's a long training camp," head coach Liam Coen said. "It's a long season. We're trying to get (Rodriguez) back, without any sort of hiccups or bumps." Bhayshul Tuten is getting an early opportunity to build rapport with the first-team offense for the Jaguars, who let Travis Etienne walk in free agency and added Rodriguez in the offseason. Rodriguez's regular-season availability isn't in question at the moment, but it may take a while for him to ramp up to full participation in training camp.

Reed is healthy for the start of training camp, Mark Oldacres of Packers Wire reports.

Reed played through a fractured foot at the beginning of last season and then missed 10 games after breaking his collarbone in Week 2. He returned for the stretch run and scored a touchdown on a season-high seven targets during the playoff loss at Chicago. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks out of the picture, each of Reed, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden has a solid case for career-high volume this year. There is still some doubt about Reed's playing time in two-wide packages, as he's largely been confined to 11 personnel through the first three years of his NFL career.

Burks missed Thursday's practice with foot soreness, Ben Standig of Big 100 Washington D.C. reports.

The 2022 first-round pick is part of what seems to be an open competition for WR roles behind locked-in No. 1 Terry McLaurin. Rumors connect Washington with multiple veteran wideouts, but the current depth chart gives Burks a real shot at a top-three role, competing against the likes of Antonio Williams, Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown, Jaylin Lane and Van Jefferson.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that he's "not even sweating" Gibbs' absence from training camp amidst contract negotiations, though Campbell also noted that the running back is dealing with minor back discomfort, ESPN.com's Eric Woodyard reports.

Multiple reports point to the contract situation as the impetus for Gibbs' absence through the first two days of training camp. The back injury is something to keep in mind, but it doesn't sound serious and might heal in a hurry with a new contract in hand. The Lions have Gibbs under team control for two more years after picking up his fifth-year option for 2027 ($14.3 million). A prolonged hold-in is possible if the two sides can't reach an agreement, but the current CBA essentially guarantees that no player on a rookie contract will hold out from actual games. Still, it'd be a minor ding to Gibbs' immense fantasy value if the situation were to drag on and affect his practice participation well into August.

Odunze said Thursday that his foot "feels great" at the beginning of training camp, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Odunze also used the word 'amazing' to describe how he feels, perhaps looking to set the record straight after his June comments about a "new normal" led to some panic from Bears fans and fantasy managers. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot last season, derailing what had the look of a breakout year through September and the first half of October. Odunze returned for the playoffs and avoided surgery in the offseason, with no hint of any trouble (besides the one quote) during OTAs and minicamp. He, Luther Burden and TE Colston Loveland are locked in as Caleb Williams' top three targets, in some unknown order.

Stewart will miss several weeks due to a hyperextended knee, head coach Zac Taylor revealed Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19 Cincinnati reports.

Stewart was carted off Wednesday due to a left leg injury. The 2025 first-round pick didn't escape unscathed, but this outcome is a positive one given initial fears of a long-term absence. Stewart has a chance to recover before the Bengals kick off regular-season play Sept. 13 against the Buccaneers.

Stevenson (undisclosed) is participating in Thursday's padded practice, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Stevenson left Tuesday's practice early, but his exit appears to have been precautionary since he's practicing Thursday in the Patriots' first full-pad practice of training camp. He's splitting first-team reps with TreVeyon Henderson on Thursday, and that arrangement is expected to linger throughout the season as long as both running backs are healthy.

Ridley (illness) returned to practice Thursday, Ben Arthur of FoxSports.com reports.

Ridley missed just one day of practice and is now expected to be a full participant. He'll likely get plenty of first-team snaps, but Carnell Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson are the favorites to see the most targets, while Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor loom as threats to push Ridley for playing time. Ridley was a limited participant in spring practices after breaking his fibula in Week 11 last year.

Slayton (core muscle) took part in the first practice of the Giants' training camp Wednesday, Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News reports.

Slayton's return from offseason core muscle surgery was understandably overshadowed by Malik Nabers' presence on the practice field. With Nabers likely absent or limited for at least a few more weeks, the top candidates for first-team reps at WR are Slayton, Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin. The Giants also have third-round pick Malachi Fields and veterans Odell Beckham and JuJu Smith-Schuster.